What is the Department of Transportation and What Are its Powers?
December 27, 2016
The United States Department of Transportation is a federal cabinet department created in 1966. The Department of Transportation is in charge of keeping the traveling public safe and secure, increasing their mobility, and having the transportation system contribute to the growth of the United States’ economy. The Department of Transportation is head of several well-known agencies – such as the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), and Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA).
The Department of Transportation is responsible for planning and coordination of federal transportation projects. It also creates safety regulations for all major methods of transportation. For example, the FMCSA is tasked with preventing commercial motor vehicle-related fatalities and injuries. As a result, the FMCSA adopted regulations, collectively referred to as the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations, which require certain actions – such as vehicle inspections, and prohibit other actions – such as driving a vehicle in need of repair – in effort to cut down on commercial motor vehicle wrecks.
The Department of Transportation also works with local governments to adopt transit systems. The Federal Transit Administration, an agency of the Department of Transportation, operates a grant program in which it helps cities plan, build, and operate public transit systems. The Department of Transportation also sets and enforces safety performance standards for motor vehicles, investigates safety defects, sets and enforces fuel economy standards, and more in effort to reduce motor vehicle crashes.
The Department of Transportation is a federal cabinet that manages multiple transportation based agencies in effort to make transportation of all forms safer. The Department can create and enforce safety standards for all forms of transportation, investigate issues in different methods of transportation, and issue regulations for transportation industries to follow.
If you or a loved have been involved in a truck wreck and has suffered injuries as a result of the negligence of another person, please contact us immediately for a free consultation. The attorneys at the Amaro Law Firm have successfully handled complex truck wreck cases. Our attorneys have vast experience dealing with trucking regulations and knowledge of the powers of the agency that regulates the commercial trucking industry. Our knowledge and experience have led to us uncovering repeated violations of the federal regulations which protect us all from injury and death.